Tuesday,
20 February: The second session of the preparatory committee
for Istanbul+5 (PrepCom II) resumed during its second day of deliberations
at the UNCHS in Nairobi. Delegates offered comments, in morning and
afternoon Plenary sessions, on the draft declaration on cities and
other human settlements in the new millennium, and the Committee of
the Whole (COW) met in the afternoon to debate agenda items pertaining
to the special session. The Drafting Committee also met informally
in the afternoon to discuss procedure for moving forward on negotiating
the outcome document. Above left: signs announcing PrepCom II
at the entrance of the Gigiri compound.

African
delegates walking past the Registration desk.

Confusion
reigned and the drafting committee never convened for its morning
session as delegates met in huddles trying to agree on participation
of NGO's. See "In the breezeways", below.

In
the beezeways...

Mass confusion
erupted over procedure as the Drafting Committee attempted to begin its
work. Before the meeting could get under way, conflict arose over UN rules
of procedure regarding the presence of NGO observers, and whether the
Committee was a formal body of the PrepCom. Some participants accused
the countries vehemently opposed to NGO participation of trying to sabotage
the process, and expressed the fear that attempts to exclude NGOs would
be setting a precedent for the special session, which they saw as backtracking
from Habitat II. However, others felt that a smaller group would ensure
that work is completed more effectively and efficiently. Some delegates
commented that in attempting to exclude NGOs, a whole morning of work
had already been wasted. Additional exclusionary efforts also incited
conflict in the COW, as a few countries objected to allotting speaking
slots for Habitat partners during the Plenary of the special session,
resulting in similar accusations from those with an interest in full participation.
(see photo, above).

Above right: at the UN compound at Gigiri, buildings
are not separated by closed corridors, instead they are linked by open
breezeways.

Left,
and below: UNCHS has lined the breezeways of Gigiri with numerous
habitat-related posters and informational displays.